Our Favorite Places

I love my bed.

Sometimes I pass by my bedroom and glance at the bed.  And all I want to do is dive in and stay there for a while, it looks so inviting to me. 

I remember being on bed rest with my second pregnancy.  Someone said to me something about how I needed to enjoy this mandatory rest time, because a day will come when there won’t be much rest-and I’ll desperately want it.  At the time I remember thinking that person was crazy.  How could someone want to rest?  How could I be okay sitting around with a not even 2 year old little boy and little girl coming and the holidays so close (it was November) and so much to do?!?  I got to be okay with it because I really had no choice.  And if it meant letting my little girl cook longer so she would be born healthy at the right time it was okay, even though it was hard. 

But now I see what that person meant.  Sometimes I wish someone would send me to bed.  I’d gladly go, I’d take a book with me and a tray with a latte and some treats and read the day away.  I love my bed.  And I’d like to have more time there, just for resting and doing nothing and gazing out the window.

She loves her bed.

A light turned a place that was designed just for sleeping into a place of reading and drawing and puppet shows.  This little girl loves the light by her bed.  And most nights the promise of extra time to read here sends her up early.  And some days, the threat of losing this light and with it cherished book time is enough to correct any foul attitudes or behaviors.

And she loves the blue chair.

For her it’s not really the chair, but the place at the end of the table.  For family meals it’s Daddy’s spot, but any other time this is where she wants to be.  She likes it here, I’m not really sure why.  But she does and I’m more than happy to allow her the pleasure of sitting here.

We all love a cozy spot.

This is the winter time spot, good for reading to myself or reading out loud to some kids.  It’s also good for just sitting.  And when it’s movie night it’s great to pull back and turn around to get a better view of the show.  I love this chair and it’s flexibility.

He loves his Lego spot.

The boy in our house loves Legos, and loves to spread them out and has a hard time making this work in his room right now.  So we’ve compromised and stuck them in our hallway.  Unfortunately it’s just at the top of the stairs and just outside our bedroom door.  It’s taught us to walk gingerly, lest our bare feet take a beating on so many tiny parts.  But it works and that’s what matters. 

Making a home is about so much more than sticking furniture here and there and calling it good.  It’s thinking about how the space will be used.  Most importantly it’s thinking of how the people in the space want to live.  It’s for sure not about my vision of perfect. 

Sometimes I have to stop and remember that I’m not only one who lives here when it comes to setting up house.  My very important family lives here.  And they have very important ideas of what makes a place a favorite.  Legos will not always clutter our hallway and injure our unsuspecting toes.  Little girls may not always be motivated by extra time to read in bed.  But for now, those things are what’s important, so those things are what we will build the rooms in our house around.  It’s not about achieving some kind of design perfection, but working with what we have.  And because of that our house is filled with lots of favorite, special places.  And I like that.

Oh, my husband’s favorite place?  The garage-typical.  Or the hammock-again, typical.  And since I’m guessing you don’t really want to see my garage and the hammock is in storage for the winter, you’ll have to imagine these places.  They are dear to his heart.

Surprises

Sometimes you plan some sort of fabulous post, or at least you try.  And then your husband takes the kids away for a few hours.  You sit and sip coffee and wander around the house in circles wondering why it’s so quiet. 

You get absolutely nothing accomplished.

And then they come home looking just as wonderful as when they left.

Case in point.

And then there’s this face. 

I mean mustache.

I mean face.  Hmmmmm, I love you honey, but pretty please can you shave that thing off?  I would appreciate it immensely.  Thank you very much.

And now I’m off to somewhere, by myself.  For a while.  Maybe a thrift store, maybe Target, maybe somewhere to sip coffee alone and accomplish nothing.  I sense a pattern forming here.

Hope you’re all having a great Saturday!

nothing but answers

I’ve really got nothing witty to say, nothing too inspiring, not much at all.  Just one of those days I guess.  One where an early bedtime sounds like the best way to go, but before I head off I thought I’d answer some questions that you guys have asked recently.  Since the house is quiet and Zac’s not home and I feel the need to talk to someone; if it’s all right, I’ll chat with all of you.  How’s that sound?

So for those of you who asked here’s some answers…

Q. Where did you find the globe on your kitchen table? 

A.  That was a Goodwill find, the markings on it say “A quality globe from the George F Cram Company.”  They do have a website and a catalogue, if you’re interested. 

Q.  I love the blue circles on the wall (do they have mirrors inside?) 

A.  Yes, they are mirrors.  I found them at TJ Maxx awhile back, they were originally gold.  Blech.  So a bit of spray paint fixed them right up.

Q.  How did you learn to crochet?

A.  I picked a book a long, long time ago that had simple/easy/foolproof directions.  I can’t remember what it was-but I grabbed it and started making small things stitch by stitch.  Check your local library, and don’t be afraid to pick up a book made for kids.  I’m just saying, for me directions tailored to a five year old seem much easier to follow.  YouTube has some great video tutorials too.

Also, I think it’s more encouraging to start by making small easy things, you don’t get frustrated at the amount of time it takes to complete a project and it gives you an opportunity to practice different stitches. 

Q.  Where did you find the pattern for the granny squares?

A.  This pattern I found on the blog Attic24.  She’s got amazing patterns and really easy to follow instructions.  Definitely a must visit. 

Q.  I love your hat, where is the pattern from?

A.  I found that one on Ravelry.  This is a great, free site with tons, I mean tons, of great patterns.  You have to create an account to use it, but once you do you’ll be able to mark and save all the patterns you like. 

Ok then, that’s really all I’ve got.  Any more questions?  Ask away!

Recently, on a Weekend

I wore my apron most of one day, I was feeling very domestic.

The kids and I made a castle.  I cheated and used hot glue to put the graham crackers together.  The kids didn’t mind too much, they were happy to eat lots of frosting with chocolate grahams.  We’re studying castles and knights and talked about all the parts of a castle.  Inside we even made a garden and the mill and you can see the keep sticking up there.  It was very fun, this week we focus on knights and I’m really excited.

I made blueberry coffee cake and then cut out a piece to save for myself for later, because I just knew that the kids would come through like a swarm of locusts and destroy it.  I’m guessing I’m not the only mom who hides treats for herself, right?

We contemplated giving the kids brownies for dinner, but common sense took over and we hastily made sandwiches and cut up some fruit.  Then we all ate too many brownies.  At least we had a little bit of healthy in us.

It’s really okay about the brownies, because we rented Just Dance 2 from Redbox and danced our little hearts out after dinner.  You want to know something amazing?  My husband, the one who “won’t dance, no way, no how,” not even at our wedding, he didn’t even dance then, my husband won nearly every single dance.  I must say I was surprised at his skills that he’s been hiding for the past 11 years.  I honesty thought I would be a lot better than him.

I made Kimba’s rustic, no knead bread.  Wow.  It’s good, really good.  If you haven’t seen this you need to go check it out.  I made it with half whole wheat pastry flour and half white flour.  It was amazing.  We’re already wondering how we could make 2 loaves at a time, it’s that good.

I took a nap.  And the house was empty.  And I was totally alone.  The house was so quiet, it was a blissful hour or so. 

The kids and I are reading Knights Castle.  I’m reading it out loud to them, it is very good and we are all hanging on every word.

And I scrapbooked.  It’s been awhile and I’ve been feeling very behind.  I used to end each year completely up to date on these things.  Then I started homeschooling and everything changed.  I just finally decided to get it done and not worry about how fancy or detailed the pages are or aren’t.  Just get the stories down and move on.  More on that later.

That just about sums it up.  It was a good weekend.  Relaxing.  And I’m grateful for it.

How about you?

a letter to a new mom (8 years later)

If I could time travel I probably would have no idea where to start.  Too many options of where to go and who to meet and all.  But there is one thing I do know that I would do if I could some how jump the space/time continuum.  I would write myself a letter, a letter to myself as a young 24 year old mother to be. 

Here’s what I would I would say.  I would tell myself the one thing I’ve heard over and over and over again.  I would tell myself that time flies, that sometimes the days are long but the years are so very short. 

I would tell myself to hold on tighter, to take time to read more books, to play pretend, to watch them more, notice the moments in the day to day mundane.

I would tell myself that one day I’ll see my two little girls riding around the block on their bikes and a lump will form in my throat.  And that I’ll have to contain myself from running after them and holding them down, in some vain attempt to keep them babies just a bit longer.

I would tell myself that sending them into ballet class is sometimes much harder than it should be, not because of them but because it requires me to let go.

I’d want my younger self to know that it’s okay to hold my baby all through service at church, even though there’s lots of folks who would love to take a turn holding my precious little bundle. 

I’d make sure I know that sometimes I might feel like I’m going crazy because I’ve had three kids in three years.  I’d want me to know that I’m not alone and it’s okay to ask for help.

I would tell myself not to be in such a rush to get from one thing to another.  To slow down and go at my kids’ pace, a few minutes saved at the expense of a lost temper isn’t worth it.

I wish someone would have told me that I’d be exhausted, overwhelmed, amazed, and overjoyed at my children-all in the same hour.

Mostly, I’d remind myself to treasure all the moments, to work hard at remembering and appreciating where my children are in each season of their lives.

So, dear me:  take time to treasure each moment with my kids.  I will start being better at this now, today.  And so I’m grateful for each new day, a new opportunity to savor where I am in life right now-even if I’m still a bit nostalgic for where I was. 

Yes, it has been hard to have three kids so close together and it took a really long time to come out of the baby/lack of sleep/just barely functioning stage.  Then there was the toddler stage and the constant answers of “no” and “why” to everything.  And the stage where everyone needed help getting shoes and socks on before getting out the door.

Then all of sudden I say “go grab shoes” and they do.  I get books to read to them and they end up reading them by themselves before I do.  I catch them making their own breakfasts and lunches.  And I realize that yes, indeed, they are growing up.  Whether I like it or not, there is nothing I can do about it.  What I can do is appreciate the moments, while learning to let go at the same time.  And encourage you guys to do the same.

Winter Nesting

After Christmas it’s always so nice to simplify.  De-clutter and clean and refresh.  After the Christmas things went away I left all the other stuff out in the garage.  That left me with less to do and less to dust.  Both of those make me a happy girl.

It also left my shelves with lots of room for the books that were piling up in odd and inconvenient places, like the kitchen table and the couch.  It seems like school books and study books are growing at an alarming rate around here, I guess that’s a good thing what with the home schooling and all.

And a clean table makes for a nice place to enjoy some hot chocolate.  Of course colored marshmallows are necessary.

And remember these ramblings about how I just couldn’t figure out what to do with this wall?  I finally figured it out.  I love the family pictures up there, love, love, love.  It works.  And that makes me happy too.

I like my winter house.  I’m sure once spring rolls around I’ll be craving more color, but maybe not. 

For now this look makes me happy. 

on a rainy weekend….

A box provided us with a lot of entertainment.  If you haven’t seen Despicable Me then you need to.  You’ll see the box of shame.  And a great movie.  We’ve watched it at least 10 times since New Year’s.  And I still cry, every single time. It’s that good.

And it was really nice for our babysitter Friday night, they watched nearly an entire movie from there and ate dinner while inside too.  Because it was date night that was just fine with us.

We ended up seeing True Grit.  We loved it.  We loved it even more than the original.  I cried and I buried my head in Zac’s shoulder.  And Matt Damon, he was there too.

We had a great night.  It was a good reminder to us how important it is to take time to connect and be totally, completely focused only each other.  We laughed and told secrets and stayed up way too late.  It was heavenly.  Date night needs to happen more often, don’t you think?

And today it was rainy and windy and nasty out so we opted for movies on the couch and popcorn for dinner.  They kids thought it was perfect, so did we. 

One more thing.

I just can’t help it.

Hope you all had a great weekend!

the daily grind

Up not so early this Thursday, well 6:30.  I guess that still might be considered early.  I was planning on a much earlier get up and go time but sometimes the bed is just too comfy and I’m just too tired…

But once the kids are up everything changes.  We dive right into our school day around here, usually reading history around the breakfast table.  Sometimes the kids are dressed, usually not but that’s okay.  It’s how we do school and it works.

After the reading is over we zip upstairs to the school room to do the mapping and narration pages then jump right into handwriting.  Sometimes things flow smoothly from one thing to the next, today they didn’t.  And that’s okay.  Cayden checked out most of the day and once I realized she was writing a book I figured she was doing just fine.  One thing I’ve learned and relearned on this homeschooling journey is to be flexible.  Some days this is very difficult for me and my lists, but I know I’m getting better.  The fact that Aida wore her jammies until around 1 today is proof of that.

Back to the school day-from handwriting back downstairs for science reading then Bible. 

Coffee break.

Then back at it to finish the day.  I usually have the kids take turns so I can do individual lessons with the older two one on one.  Levi gets spelling, grammar, and math.  Cayden gets grammar and math.  Later in the afternoon when my energy is all gone we read.  Aida has her reading lesson and the other read independently, then I read to them.  And then Zac or I read to them again at bedtime.  But working one on one is the only way we can get things done.  Yes, it makes our school day longer.  Well, longer for me.  But it gives each of them a chance to take a break, get dressed, brush teeth and make their beds.  And sometimes it gives me a spare minute to myself.  Usually not, but sometimes.

On a typical day we finish the structured lessons by noon.  Then there’s lunchtime and some chores and some free play.  And today there was lots of energy contained in the house with too much rain and wind outside.  That can make for frustration, as it did today.  So there was lots of redirecting.  All in a days work.

Of course, their lunch is a bit different from mine.

The afternoon ended up with a few quiet moments before the girl’s ballet lessons.  They pirouette away while I plod along on the treadmill at the gym across the parking lot.  It’s a beautiful thing, for all three girls in the house.

We got home for dinner and reading time and thankfully, a 7 pm bedtime for the kids.  That is nice.

Tomorrow we’ll do it again.  Tackle a school day.  Learn about castles.  Read a few books.  Practice our cursive.  Review math.  Find an art project.  Do our chores.  And then…..it’s date night.  I love date night.  We’re thinking of seeing True Grit.  Have you seen it?  What do you think?  It’s a toss up between that or Narnia or making out in the van like teenagers.  Hmmm.  We’ve got options, don’t we?  Which movie would you see?

God gets through

Sometimes being a parent is tough.  You wonder if you’re getting through, if they hear what you’re trying to say.  You pray they’ll know God and hear his voice, that your life points to Jesus.  It’s hard to know if your kids are listening and then you wonder, am I praying enough?  Am I doing enough to lead them to Jesus?

And then you realize that it’s really God’s job to draw them to him.  It’s my job as a parent to create an environment that makes God accessible, to lead by example and pray for God’s spirit to be heard in their hearts.  And then pray more and some more.

I know their relationship with God will be personal and unique and different from mine.  I can only pray and trust, and then lead the way by what I do. 

In the midst of that God is gracious enough to give me a glimpse, some evidence that they are hearing and listening to God.

I found these notes the other day in Cayden’s school notebook.  My heart swelled as I read them.

And I realized God is breaking through.

granny squares, hungry dogs and the Oregon Ducks…

I am making granny squares.  Hopefully enough to make a blanket…someday.  There’s something very satisfying about stacking up a little pile of completed granny squares.  Yesterday, I got to see an afghan that Zac’s grandma made.  I was totally inspired, wishing I could have met her and maybe she could have taught me a few tricks.  I can only hope my granny square afghan measures up to hers. I love making these, I think it’s a perfect solution for someone like me who longs to complete a large project but lacks the patience (and the time) to sit down long enough to complete.  Maybe it’s crocheting for folks with a short attention span?

One of my favorite times of the day is early morning.  The fire is on, coffee is in hand and my Bible is open.  One of the few times of the day I have all to myself.  I always wish is lasted longer.

For entertainment we let the dog play with the empty peanut butter jars.  It keeps him busy for a very long time, and usually ends up with him across the house with a peanut butter jar wedged under the couch.  I don’t know who enjoys it more, us or him.

And today is a big day, a national championship at stake and I’m sure all five us will be yelling at the tv at some point-I’m sure it will be all cheers!

Happy Monday everyone…and GO DUCKS!

this is it….

…the run down on the Christmas/New Year’s Week, a week typically filled with much laziness and much eating.  Which typically leaves me feeling the need for stretchy pants, oh well-it’s a new year and time to start fresh anyway.

The day after Christmas my parents made the long journey up here and stayed with us for an entire week.  Heaven, it was heaven.  The week looked like this, lots of Legos scattered everywhere and three kids dying to play Mimi’s i-touch. 

We also celebrated someone’s sixth birthday.  Each year leaves more and more amazed at how the time flies.  Six seems mighty grown up to me.

We also had a second Christmas morning, and someone may or may not have been shocked about something.  Sure wish I could remember what!

When it was all said and done we had watched a lot of movies, ate a lot of candy, had a few shopping trips, played lots of games and stayed up too late.  It was wonderful.

We were all sad to see Mom and Dad (and their dogs) leave.

And I cannot believe that we spent an entire week together and I do not have one single picture of them on my camera.  (or any other grown up, for that matter!)  Hopefully Mom, you’ve got some on yours.  Otherwise you’ll have to come visit again, real soon. 

Now we’re getting back into the school schedule, after taking all of December off it sure feels good to be back to our lessons and the routine of daily life.  Christmas is all packed away, the furniture’s been moved around and life is settling.  That is a nice feeling.

How about you guys?  I usually feel mildly depressed after Christmas, but not this year.  It feels really nice to clean things out and start fresh!

best idea ever…

Christmas is over.  Yes, I know you know that already.  After Christmas is done and I’ve packed all the Christmas pretties away I usually refresh things in the house.  I move accessories from here to there and push the furniture around a bit.  It’s a good way to get me to actually dust, and with a new year it seems like a fresh start is a good thing.

So I moved some stuff around today and I think I came up with the best idea known to parenthood, well, at least parenthood in my house. 

I have this cute little mirror that I stuck here on the kitchen cabinets, just because.  I seemed like a good place for a something and I happened to have this mirror in my hand.  I put it there and walked away.

It wasn’t until later that I noticed the view from the mirror.  It’s the family room behind the kitchen.  The family room where the kids play and much mischief is made while mommy has her back turned and is doing dishes.

So I don’t see this gloomy bear tree and the fifth wheel on an empty lot that seems suspiciously like someone is living there.

Instead I get a birds eye view of the action in the living room.  Mischief makers, beware!

Oh, I also get a place to check out the hat I crocheted up this weekend.  It’s a great way to hide the head of hair one might have when it’s been a few too many days since you’ve washed your hair and yes, you did take a shower after your run but just didn’t feel like dealing with hair.  Not that I’ve ever done that.  Ummm… I might need to make more hats if I keep up this unclean hair habit. 

In other news, this is cracking me up.  Big time. 

Watch it, try not to laugh out loud.